Nissan is struggling. There are no cars in their showrooms currently which are exciting the Indian car buyer. But the brand is confident that they have a few products which have potential to do well in the country in the near future. A recent report reveals that Nissan might be considering to bring the Note hybrid to India. Not just launch it here, but Nissan also wants to localise this hybrid car here in India.
Although the infrastructure to manufacture EVs is very poor at the moment here in India, Nissan is planning to start with small steps to localise parts for the Note.
The Nissan Note e-Power is a rather interesting product. It is a car with a range extender which makes use of a 1.2L petrol motor only to charge the batteries. The car is driven at all times making use of the 108 HP electric motor. This allows for a low carbon footprint and driving an EV without worrying about the driving range as the petrol motor will keep generating power for the batteries.
If the petrol motor burns 1 litre of fuel to charge the battery, this can be used for 37 km of driving range. So you need not worry if there is no plug point around to charge your Nissan Note e-Power or if you are pressed for time.
The problem is that the Nissan Note e-Power is not being considered as an EV, but a hybrid. Which is true actually. But then, the Indian government doesn’t provide any subsidy for hybrids, and that will make the Nissan Note very expensive. Nissan is trying to justify that the Note e-Power is an EV, since the wheels are powered only by the batteries, and hence, the costs can be made reasonable.
Nissan is also going to launch a new premium product, the Kicks SUV to rival the likes of Hyundai Creta in the coming months. This should bring some new buyer set into Nissan showrooms.